SRINAGAR: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday declared a state of emergency after Typhoon Kalmaegi devastated central provinces, leaving at least 241 people dead or missing in what has become the country’s deadliest natural disaster this year, according to TRT World.
According to officials, the typhoon claimed at least 114 lives, most of them due to drowning in sudden flash floods, while 127 others remain unaccounted for—many of them from the severely affected province of Cebu. The tropical cyclone, which exited the Philippine archipelago on Wednesday and moved into the South China Sea, left behind a trail of destruction across vast areas.
Nearly two million people were impacted by the storm, with more than 560,000 displaced from their homes. Of these, about 450,000 sought refuge in temporary evacuation centres set up by local authorities.
President Marcos made the emergency declaration during a meeting with disaster-response officials to assess the scale of the devastation. The move enables the government to swiftly release emergency funds, coordinate relief efforts, and take action against food hoarding and price manipulation in storm-hit areas.
Rescue and relief operations remain ongoing, as authorities continue to search for the missing and restore essential services disrupted by the typhoon’s onslaught.
